The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe’s expert group on measles and rubella elimination recently completed a mission to Azerbaijan.
The main objective of the mission was to evaluate the work done to prevent the resurgence of measles in the country, following last year's cases. During the visit, international experts conducted monitoring and external assessments related to epidemiological surveillance.
At the conclusion of the mission, a meeting was organized at the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the participation of the structural heads of the Medical Territorial Units Management Union (TABIB) and international experts. The meeting aimed to plan activities for maintaining the elimination status of measles and rubella in Azerbaijan, assess response measures against measles outbreaks, and evaluate laboratory capabilities.
In their remarks, the mission representatives emphasized that the elimination of measles and rubella is one of the priority issues for the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Nazifa Mursalova, Head of the Public Health and Disease Control Department of the Ministry of Health, noted that since 2015, Azerbaijan has been officially declared as having eliminated measles and rubella (absence of endemic cases within the country) by WHO. She reported that since April 2023, imported measles cases from neighboring countries have led to localized outbreaks among the population. The department head assured that the epidemiological situation regarding measles and rubella in the country is under complete control. The Ministry of Health has imported WHO-prequalified vaccines through UNICEF and is conducting a vaccination campaign. Thanks to the implemented anti-epidemic and preventive measures, the number of measles cases has been minimized, and epidemiological stability has been achieved.
In conclusion, the mission representatives highly appreciated the efforts made in Azerbaijan to address measles outbreaks.